Seat



March 21, 1933. U E M NN 1,902,631

SEAT

Fi-led May 8, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTO fierari ////7 627220) m H l5 ATTORNEYS v March 21, 1933. I G; ANN 1,902,631

SEAT I Filed May 8, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet '2 1 445 ATTORNEYS March 21, 1 933.

G] FLINTERMANN SEAT Filed May 8, 1929 5 sheets-sheet H is ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 21, 1933 .GEBHARD FLINTERM N 0F 'wns'r ORANGELNEW JERSEY SEAT Application filed May 8, 1929. Serialfio. 361L405.

i This invention relates to seats and has for 5 an object the provisionof. an improved convertible seat. More particularly theinvention contemplates the provision of an improved seat of the type used in sleeping cars. The invention further contemplates the pro, vision of an improved couch or bed which may be formed. through the combination of .two convertibleseats. I l 7 According to some present practices seats provided in relatively smallspacessuch as ,sleeping cars are'so constructed that portions of two adjacent seats are adjustable'in position and the two seats may be combined to 'form a bed or couch for reclining or sleeping. Thus, in railway sleeping cars, adjacent seats are so constructed andarranged that the bottom cushions maybe drawn together to form a substantially continuous supporting surface over theaisle between the seats. The back cushions may be moved into the spaces made vacant by the moving of the bottom cushions on fixed,non-resilient supports and the cushioning efi'ect has been obtained large- 'ly through springs in the cushions. Also, in some instances, the bottom cushions are so mounted that when drawn out their bottom edgesextend substantially horizontally with the result that the frontportions are disposed at higher elevations than the rear portions,

by virtue of the fact that the bottom cushions are thicker at the front than at the rear, and a transverse ridge is'produced in the result- I sing bed or couch; The front faces of the bottom cushions are closely adjacent when'the cushions are extended and evenif the cush- .ions should be mounted on resilient supports downward flexing of the central portion of the resulting bed would be prevented.

'The present invention contemplates the provision of seats in which the bottom cushions are sofmounted that they are resiliently supported. The invention further contemplates the provision, of seats which may be converted into beds without the production of objectionable ridges. The invention further provides for the production. from'two seats, of a bed in which the central portion is comfortably'fl'exible. V Seats constructedin accordance with the brace broken away;

present inventioncomprise an adjustable support for the bottom cushion which, is so mounted that when the cushion is drawn forwardly the rear portion is raised and the A.

portmay be mounted onresilient supporting V front portion islowered? The adjustable supmeans which further add tojthe-coinfortof PATENT- OFFICE; i

the bed or couchproduced, and Which per mit flexing of the resulting bed or couch; 1 0

ing drawings in which Fig. l is an elevation of a bedand seats embodying the-invention and showing the -'bot-' tom seat cushions andsupports in their extended positions;

Fig. 2 is a plan taken substantially along line 22 ofFig. 3 andshoWingtlie adju'stable support-with a poruonor the transverse Fig. 3 is anelevation'ta'ken substantially along'line 8f3of Fig. 2 andshowing a bot tom cushion "and support in their normal re- 1 tracted positions 1 Flg. 4 is an elevation taken substantially along line 44 of Fig. 2; r

; Fig. 5 is anlelevation taken substantially I along line 5 5 of Fig. 2; and t Fig. 6 is anelevation taken substantially along line 6'6-of Fig. 2. I

The drawings show apparatus constructed i i in accordance with the invention as applied to a railway sleeping car. The wall side being at the left in Fig. 4 and at the bottom in Fig. 2, and the spac'efor the usual steam and other pipes being indicated at 10; The" seats are provided with theiusual "arm rests 11 and 'supports12 on the aisle side, andthe usual rear, partition] 13 which" support th back cushion.

Rigid supporting ledges 14. in the form of metal plates are carried by the sidesupports andproject inwardly to provide means of attachment for resilient cushioning members i 15. The platesl l on the wall side are rigidly attached to the wall side supports18 which have horizontal top portions extending over the foot rest 9 and vertical side portions attached to the horizontal top portions and the floor. The plates 14 on the aisle side are rigidly attached to the aisle side supports 12.

Each cushioning member 15 comprises a pair of outer channel shaped sheet metal members 17 having their ends spaced apart by means of shims 19 and held in fixed relative positionsby means of'bolts 20. The channel members enclose an annular soft rubber body 21 which may be formed of two U- shaped parts... An annular channel-shaped metal core 22 corresponding in outline to the opening in the rubber body is mounted with in the opening in the rubber body with its 7 vtact with the upper surface of. said member and the other web extending downwardly vertically 0n the inside} .The angles 24 are attached bymeans of bolts or rivets 25 to the upper one of the members 17 and to the lower one of the members 17 by means of a bolt 26 extending through an opening in the center of the cushioning member. The main portion .of' the upper surfaces of the angles 24 normally extend substantially horizontally and therear portions extend upwardly to,

maintain the top of the back cushionin-an elevated position when the bottom cushion is extended and the back cushion is in position to form a bed. An angle iron 28 isattachedto and extends between the rear ends of the angles 24 to provide means for confining the bac-k cushion in its proper position in a bed structure. The horizontal por tions of the angles 24 are preferably sufliciently long to support the bottom cushion in its normal position in a seat structure, the angles 24'extending upwardly rearwardly of the bottom cushion.

A cushion support comprising side members 27 and a front transverse brace 30 is adjustablv mounted on the angles 24. The

members 27 and 30 are preferably angle irons. Each ofthe side members 27 is mounted with a web lying in contact with the downwardly extending web of an angle 24, and supported at the rear by a bolt 31. and at the front by a cylindricalpin 32. The pins 32 are rigidly mounted on the angles 24, and the lower edges of the downwardly ext-ending webs of 'the side members 27 are provided with semicircular slots 29 for the receptionof said pins. Each member 27 is provided with two semicircular slots 29, one adjacent the front end and one adjacent the center. The bolts 31 r are carried by extensions of the downwardly extending Webs of themembers-27 and extend through slots 33 in the angle irons 24. The slots 33 are so formed that their bottom walls extend forwardly and upwardly so that when a support withthe cushionthereon is drawn forwardlythe rear end of the cushion moves upwardly. A suitably bent piece of sheet metal 34 is rigidly attached to each angleiron24 on :the insidev to-..provide guides for the side members 27. c i

The cushion supports are provided with upwardly projecting pins 35 which are adapted to enter corresponding recesses in the bottoms of the bottom cushions36. In the seat,

structures, the front edgeportions of the bottom cushions project beyond the front edges of their supports.

Fig. 1 shows a' combining two adjacent seat structures. The cushioning supportsgare shown drawn forbed emanaformed by wardly with their rear ends raised" and their a front ends depressed. The lowermost edges .of the frontportions of the back cushions 37 and. bottom cushions 36 are shown to-be at lower elevations than the lowermost edges of their rear portions. The centralgportions of the upper surfaces of the back and bottom cushions are at the greatest elevations, and.

these portions'all lie in a single substantially horizontal plane. The mattress 38 lies in contact with only the central portionsof the upper surfaces of the back and'bottom cushions when the bed structure is not in use. p

The bed structure of the invention comprises two separate floating platforms which may wrnove independently of one another.

The bottom cushion supporting means of each seat structure comprises an extensible platform resiliently supported adjacent its front edge portion when in its retractedposi tion and resiliently supported adjacent its .centerandhaving two free or floating ends when in its extended position. When the extensible platforms are in. their extended positions, the cushioning members 15 permit limited pivotal action. Thus, when a force acts downwardly on the centralportion of the bed structure, downward movement of that portion is resiliently, resisted by the lower front portions and the upper rear portions'of the rubber cores 21. The extent of flexing of the bed structure may be varied by varying the sizes of and the types ofmaterials usedinthe resilient cores 21. i

The bed structure-provides maximum comfort. The heavier portions of a'sleeping or reclining personare disposed over the central portion of the bed whichfmay besufli-f ciently flexible to shocks. I

I'claim: 1. A seat comprising a'frame, a rigid supabsorb or ,minimize all port therefor, resilient supporting. meanslnterposed between said rigid support and said terposed between said frame and said rigid support and .connecting the same, a cushlon support and horizontally extending means for slidably connecting said cushion support to said frame whereby said cushion support may be moved in a direction from front to rear of the seat to change the horizontal relationship between the cushion support and the resilient means. i r

2. A seat comprising a rigid support, a r

seat frame, resilient supporting means inframe and connecting the same, a cushion 1 Isupport, and a slidable connection between said cushion support and said frame and having a part disposed at an angle to the a horizontal whereby said cushion support v may be moved on said frame to change the horizontal relationship between said cushion support and said resilient supporting means and wherebythe angle of said cushion support may be changed as said cushion support is moved on said frame.

3. A seat comprising a rigid support, a frame, resilient supporting means interposed between said rigid support and said frame and connecting the same, a cushion support, horizontally extending means for slidably connecting said cushlon support to said frame whereby said cushion support may be moved in a direction from'front to rear of said seat to change the horizontalrelationship between the cushion support and said resilient supporting means and means for locking said cushion support in different positions on said frame.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GERHARD FLINTERMANN. 

